The present invention relates to the field of display structures suitable for displaying merchandise. More specifically, the present invention relates to collapsible display structures capable of receiving shelf modules for holding merchandise.
Display structures for displaying articles of merchandise are well known in the art. Such display structures are commonly used in retail outlets such as grocery stores and pharmacies for displaying small articles of merchandise such as cosmetics and toiletries.
Merchandise display structures, according to the prior art, generally include a back panel and two side panels that are rigidly connected to one another. These rigidly connected panels create a cumbersome structure that is difficult to transport and occupies a large amount of storage space when not in use. In addition, merchandise display structures according to the prior art often include holes or grooves in their back panels through which merchandise-receiving portions such as hooks or shelves are connected. This essentially means that the merchandise-receiving portions are cantilevered from the back panel. When the merchandise is placed on these merchandise-receiving portions, a significant amount of force is exerted on the connection between the merchandise-receiving portion and the back panel. This force can cause damage to the back panel and, in a worse case scenario, can even cause the connection between the back panel and merchandise-receiving portion to break entirely.
Traditionally, display structures are made of either a thick cardboard or a combination of plastics and metal. A deficiency associated with cardboard display structures is that they are not particularly strong, nor are they particularly resistant. For example, if a cardboard display structure is exposed to water or humidity during transportation or storage, the cardboard weakens enough to essentially render the display structure useless. As for the display structures that are made of a combination of plastics and metal, the interaction of moving metal parts against plastic parts can cause excessive wear on the plastic parts, which ultimately shortens the life span of the display structure.
Therefore, there exists a need in the industry for a merchandise display structure that solves at least in part some of the disadvantages set forth above.
In accordance with a broad aspect, the present invention provides a collapsible display structure that comprises a back panel having a front surface, a back surface, and two opposed lateral edges. The collapsible display structure further comprises a first wing panel and a second wing panel each having an interior surface including guides for receiving at least a portion of a shelf module, an exterior surface and a peripheral edge. The first wing panel and the second wing panel are hingedly connected to the back panel such that the first wing panel and the second wing panel are movable between an expanded position and a collapsible position. In the expanded position the interior surface of the first wing panel and the interior surface of the second wing panel face each other and are positioned to receive therebetween a shelf module for engagement with the guides on the interior surfaces of the first wing panel and the second wing panel.
An advantage of the collapsible display structure described above is that the first wing panel and the second wing panel are movable between a collapsed position and an expanded position. This makes the display structure easy to transport and easy to store since it occupies less space when in the collapsed position. The collapsible display structure described above further has the advantage of guides located on the interior surfaces of the first and second wing panels that are able to support both lateral sides of shelf modules inserted within the display structure.
In accordance with a second broad aspect, the present invention provides a shelf module suitable for use with a collapsible display structure including guides for engaging the shelf module. The shelf module comprises a frame having a front portion, a back portion and two opposed side portions. The shelf module comprises a merchandise-receiving portion that is suitable for holding an item of merchandise to be displayed and is positioned between the front portion and the back portion and between the two opposed side portions. The shelf module further comprises guide-engaging elements positioned along the two opposed side portions for engaging the guides of the display stand, and a locking device comprising an elongated strip having two terminal ends with a first blocking element positioned on one terminal end and a second blocking element positioned on the other terminal end. The locking device is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein in the locked position the two blocking elements extend past the guide-engaging elements, and in the unlocked position the two blocking elements are located inwardly of the guide-engaging elements.
In a specific example of implementation the merchandise-receiving portion includes a platform suitable for holding merchandise to be displayed. In a variant, the merchandise-receiving portion includes a hooks for holding the merchandise to be displayed. In a still further variant, the shelf module includes at least one universal connector for receiving different types of merchandise-receiving portions.
An advantage of the shelf module described above is that it includes guide-engaging elements that enable it to slidably engage guides on a display structure. This configuration supports both lateral sides of the shelf module which therefore more uniformly supports the load of the merchandise placed on the shelf module than a shelf module that is cantilevered from a back panel. A further advantage of the above-described shelf module is that it includes a locking device that prevents the shelf module from involuntarily being removed from a display structure or from accidentally falling out of a display structure.